Kamloops firefighters quick to douse suspicious bike shop fire

A Kamloops bike shop was spared major damage as nearby firefighters were able to tackle a blaze this past weekend.

The exact cause remains under investigation, but those on the scene told staff it was likely set intentionally.

“There’s often a little fire pit back there, but there was no fire in it. When the firefighters got here it had started… deep underneath — very purposeful,” Spoke Bike and Ski manager Brandon Froese told iNFOnews.ca.

The fire started at the back of the building and was largely contained to a storage area at the rear, so the store was able to reopen on Thursday, April 23, despite the damage, after a quick response and several days of cleaning.

Kamloops Fire Rescue platoon captain Ken Hartt said the Saturday, April 18 fire remains under investigation and a fire investigator was not immediately available to comment.

Although the fire department hasn’t conclusively determined whether it was set intentionally, Froese said firefighters at the scene believed it was started below a portion of the building, aided by an accelerant.

Froese had just closed up for the day and left when a witness called to say there were flames rising above the building around 6:30 p.m.

He said firefighters were already across the street, so they were able to stop the fire at the West Victoria Street bike shop quickly.

Days later, firefighters responded to a suspected arson that burned a school portable on Arrowstone Drive. That fire, which began around 2 a.m., April 22, is being investigated by Kamloops RCMP.

Another fire at an Aberdeen gas station took out a small shed on April 23.

Platoon captain Hartt said it’s not clear whether that fire was set intentionally, nor whether any of the fires are related.

According to Froese, firefighters warned him they suspect there is “an arsonist in town,” but they didn’t suggest whether there was a connection to any other fires at the time.